10 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Lectures
Tags: brahman, dvija, golokera prema-dhana, Hayagriva, Jaya Gopala, krsna consciousness, Madhudvisa, prabhupada, sabda-brahma, sound vibration, sound-brahma, Virabhadra
This is a very nice, intimate, lecture on the Bhagavad-gita, given by Srila Prabhupada in the early days. He is obviously in a very good mood, and is challenging his students to use their intelligence.
…Vīrabhadra: And my fourth and last question is, are you in this world?
Prabhupāda: Hm? (laughter)
Vīrabhadra: Are you in this world?
Prabhupāda: I am?
Vīrabhadra: Are you in this world? I mean you, are you…?
Prabhupāda: I’m not in this world, yes.
Vīrabhadra: You’re not in this world.
Prabhupāda: No.
Jaya-gopāla: I thought I heard it said that you are in this world without being a part of it. You are in the world without being a part of it, being a part of it, like the lotus flower which floats on the water.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the way. That is the way of understanding. Just like I am in America. It is very easy to understand. I am not adopting any ways of life as the Americans do. So I am not in America. Not only myself, all my disciples who are following me, they are also not Americans. They’re different from American behavior, American ways of life. In that sense I’m not in America. I am in Vṛndāvana because wherever I go in my apartment or in my temple I live with Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I don’t accept any consciousness of America. And I teach my disciples also to take to that consciousness. So one who takes to that consciousness, he is also not in America, not in this world. It is… I have given this example many times. Just like a king and a bug is sitting on the same throne. The bug is biting and the king is ruling. It is not that because the bug is there on the throne, he is king, or the king is sitting with the bug, he is bug. Why this difference? Difference of consciousness. The king knows his duty. He is working in his duty; therefore he’s king. And the bug knows his business, to bite; therefore he’s bug. But sitting on the same place. But because due to different consciousness, one is bug, one is king. So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you don’t belong to this world. You are no more bug, you are king. Change this consciousness. Even apparently you may seem to remain with the bug, you are no more bug. Is it clear?
Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 2.46-62
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Recorded December 16, 1968, Los Angeles
Full Lecture More
29 May 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Prajah, Vaisnava Vocabulary
Tags: 84000000, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bg 14/.4, bhagavad-gita, birth and death, kunteya, living being, material desires, material nature, material world, praja, sarva-yonisu, species of life
Here is a word for your vaisnava vocabulary; Prajah.
Prajā means the living being who has taken his birth in the material world. Actually the living being has no birth and no death, but because of his separation from the service of the Lord and due to his desire to lord it over material nature, he is offered a suitable body to satisfy his material desires. In doing so, one becomes conditioned by the laws of material nature, and the material body is changed in terms of his own work. The living entity thus transmigrates from one body to another in 8,400,000 species of life.
As Krishna points out in the Bhagavad-gita:
It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father. (Bg 14-4)
Full verse and purport More
27 Apr 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Book Distribution, Books by Srila Prabhupada
Tags: 1972 Edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Ptabhupada, as it is, bhagavad-gita, Book Distribution, book distributors, books by the case, online store, Srila Prtabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement, wholesale books
By them by the case!!!
Book Distributors can buy a Case of the original 1972 Classic Edition of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is at a special reduced rate! Only $82.00 per case plus shipping, for a limited time offer.
click on link to visit online store The Hare Krishna Movement
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21 Apr 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Krishna Consciousness, Prostitutes
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Allen Ginsberg, Bilvamangala Thakura, brahman family, candalas, cintamani, cintmani, devotee of the Lord, devotional service, prostitute, prostitute-hunter, Sri Bilvamangala Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, sucinam srimatam gehe
This I found this extremely interesting from my reading this morning, how even the prostitutes some 5,000 years ago in the time of Lord Krsna were accepted as necessary citizens for the proper upkeep of society. They were not condemned by the Lord, but rather He greeted them with the proper etiquette. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita… “even the low-born caṇḍālas and those who are born in a family of unbelievers, and even the prostitutes, shall attain perfection of life if they take shelter of unalloyed devotional service to Me, because in the path of devotional service there are no impediments due to degraded birth and occupation. The path is open for everyone who agrees to follow it.”
At the same time, many hundreds of well-known prostitutes began to proceed on various vehicles. They were all very eager to meet the Lord, and their beautiful faces were decorated with dazzling earrings, which enhanced the beauty of their foreheads.(SB 1.11.19)
…We may not hate even the prostitutes if they are devotees of the Lord. Even to date there are many prostitutes in great cities of India who are sincere devotees of the Lord. By tricks of chance one may be obliged to adopt a profession which is not very adorable in society, but that does not hamper one in executing devotional service to the Lord. Devotional service to the Lord is uncheckable in all circumstances.
Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Viṣṇusvāmī Vaiṣṇava sect, in his householder life was overly attached to a prostitute who happened to be a devotee of the Lord. One night when the Ṭhākura came to Cintāmaṇi’s house in torrents of rain and thunder, Cintāmaṇi was astonished to see how the Ṭhākura could come on such a dreadful night after crossing a foaming river which was full of waves. She said to Ṭhākura Bilvamaṅgala that his attraction for the flesh and bone of an insignificant woman like her would be properly utilized if it could be diverted to the devotional service of the Lord to achieve attraction for the transcendental beauty of the Lord. It was a momentous hour for the Ṭhākura, and he took a turn towards spiritual realization by the words of a prostitute. Later on the Ṭhākura accepted the prostitute as his spiritual master, and in several places of his literary works he has glorified the name of Cintāmaṇi, who showed him the right path. (SB 1.11.19 Purport)
It is clearly declared by the Supreme Lord, that in devotional service, there is no distinction between the lower or higher classes of people. In the material conception of life, there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord, there are not. Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. (Bg 9.32 Purport)
In the second part of the post there is a conversation with Allen Ginsberg on the life of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura
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23 Mar 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Book Changes, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Rupanuga das, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bali Mardan, BBT, BBT Trustee, bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan das, hansadutta das, Harikesa das, Lord Caitanya, MacMillan Bhagavad-gita, Ramesvara das, Rascal editors, Rupanuga das, Sampradaya sun, Srila Prabhupada
This is a very nice article written by Sriman Rupanuga Prabhu, that I found on the Sampradaya Sun this morning. It gives us some more information of the history of the Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 1972 Macmillan Edition, and the changes that have transpired since. Very informative!
…That new Gita was to prove big and heavy and only so many could be crammed into a bookbag, but people were to become immediately attracted to the gorgeous, colorful paintings; besides, where could they find such a book with so many color illustrations, and for how much? It was Srila Prabhupada’s transcendent genius to conceive of such a way to reveal to people the deepest philosophy and the highest truths comprehensible to human beings. No other volume of supposed philosophical content could compare to that Gita, decorated as it was with paintings allowing a view of the Spiritual Sky. Along with Prasadam, those paintings were Srila Prabhupada’s secret weapons.
…To reiterate, after examining and rejecting new paintings for the Krsna Book, Srila Prabhupada formulated the following instructions for paintings in his books:
“If a painting is to be replaced it must be the exact same pastime, same scene, but better technically; to take out an approved painting and replace it with a different one was not allowed; and a painting may be added but there is no question of removing anything.”
In other words, Srila Prabhupada was explaining that if he were to replace a painting as they were proposing, it would be only with a better painting technically, with the same scene. But once approved by him, a painting could not be replaced; but more, bona fide paintings could be added. The conclusion is that paintings personally approved by Srila Prabhupada were not to be changed or replaced then, or in the future. It’s noteworthy that he strongly resisted replacing illustrations or paintings he had previously approved, and often took the time to demonstrate how proposed replacement or additions were misconceived.
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19 Mar 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bg. 10.35, bhagavad-gita, flowers and trees blossom and flourish, I am the flower bearing spring, Krishna, of seasons, Spring, spring is the representative of the Supreme Lord Krishna
click on image to enlarge
Well it seems that Spring is almost here, saw the first Robin of the year, have witnessed the blooming of the crocus and daffodils, and as the days get longer and the nights stay warmer, I am reminded of the verse from the Bhagavad-gita where Krishna says:
…and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring (Bhagavad-gita 10.35)
…Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. (from purport to verse)
Full Text and Purport More
08 Mar 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Om
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhakti yoga, chanting Hare Krishna, mama om visnu-padaya, meditation, Om, om ajnana-timirandhasya, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, om tat sat, omkara, syllable om, The Syllable Om, yoga
The Syllable Om
Many years ago as a young aspiring yogi, and with my very first attempts at meditation, I began my practice with the sacred syllable Om. Many years later and although I may have advanced somewhat spiritually, and practice bhakti-yoga, devotional service and the chanting of the Maha-mantra Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, still all my morning prayers still begin with the syllable Om. Such as “om namo bhagavate vasudevaya” before my reading of the Srimad Bhagavatam. And my morning offering of respectful obeisances to my spiritual master Srila Prabhupada with the prayer “om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā, cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ” and “nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale,śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine”. Today we are looking at a few slokas from the Bhagavad-gita where the syllable Om is used.
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01 Mar 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Guru & Disciple, Krishna Consciousness
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arjuna, Bg 10.12-14, brahman, guru, Krishna, param brahma param dhama, pavitram paramam bhavan, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Supreme Brahman, Supreme Personality of Godhead
click on image to enlarge
…The Bhagavad-gītā should be taken up in a spirit of devotion. One should not think that he is equal to Kṛṣṇa, nor should he think that Kṛṣṇa is an ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at least theoretically, according to the statements of Bhagavad-gītā or the statements of Arjuna, the person who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gītā. We should therefore at least theoretically accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gītā. Unless one reads the Bhagavad-gītā in a submissive spirit, it is very difficult to understand Bhagavad-gītā because it is a great mystery.
Although I have read and re-read the introduction to the Bhagavad-gita many times now, every time it seems fresh, and new realizations are evident. For instance this morning I was reading how one should accept the Bhagavad-gita in a ‘submissive spirit’. This instruction just jumped out at me because recently I was having a discussion with one devotee friend who was describing from Srila Prabhupada’s letters that Krishna Consciousness cannot be achieved…
Krishna Consciousness is a transcendental science which can be revealed to a sincere devotee who is prepared to render service to the Lord. Krishna Consciousness is not achieved by dry arguments or by academic qualifications. (Letter to Subala – Delhi 29 September, 1967)
…but rather is received, through the mercy of the spiritual master and Krishna.
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24 Feb 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Beyond Birth & Death, Bhagavad-gita, Bhismadeva, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, beyond samsara, bhagavad-gita, Bhismadeva, bhutva-bhutva, Lord Sri Krsna, mystic yogis, mystics, parliyate, pure devotee, repetition of different bodies, samsara, samsara means material existence, samsara means this material entanglement, Srimad Bhagavatam, yogic situation, yogis
Beyond Saṁsāra
As I was reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam this morning about the passing of Bhīṣmadeva it was being described how “The perfect yogīs or mystics can leave the material body at their own sweet will at a suitable time and go to a suitable planet desired by them.” And how it is possiable to go beyond Saṁsāra, and go back to Godhead without any doubt.
…In the momentous hour of leaving his material body, Bhīṣmadeva set the glorious example concerning the important function of the human form of life. The subject matter which attracts the dying man becomes the beginning of his next life. Therefore, if one is absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he is sure to go back to Godhead without any doubt.
And what is Samsara?
Saṁsāra means material existence. That is called saṁsāra. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You take your birth once in some form of body. You live for some time. Then you have to give up this body. Then you have to accept another body. Then again live for some time. Then give up that body. Again accept another body. In this way, it is going on. That is called saṁsāra, rotating within this material world. (Lecture on Gurvastakam at Upsala University by His Divine Grace -Stockholm, September 9, 1973)
The saṁsāra means repetition of different bodies. That is called saṁsāra. (Lecture on SB 1.2.4 -Rome, May 28, 1974)
Saṁsāra means this material entanglement. This is called saṁsāra.
(Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 – San Francisco, January 24, 1967)
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19 Feb 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Krishna Consciousness, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: 1972 Edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, bhagavad-gita, chanting Hare Krishna, Krishna consciousness, krishna consciousness is natural and transcendental, krishna conssciousness is historically authorized, krsna consciousness, preface
click on image to enlarge
…Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is genuine, historically authorized, natural and transcendental due to its being based on Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It is gradually becoming the most popular movement in the entire world, especially amongst the younger generation. It is becoming more and more interesting to the older generation also. Older gentlemen are becoming interested, so much so that the fathers and grandfathers of my disciples are encouraging us by becoming life members of our great society, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
…The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is essential in human society, for it offers the highest perfection of life. How this is so is explained fully in the Bhagavad-gītā. This knowledge constitutes a great science, and each and every living being has to hear it for his own interest. (from Preface to the Bhagavad-gita As It Is)
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26 Jan 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Book Changes, Spiritual Master, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: 1972 Macmillan edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, bhagavad-gita, original 1972, picture of Srila Prabhupada, prabhupada pictures
Images of the Disciplic Succession (taken from Original 1972 Edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is)
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
and greatest exponent of Krishna Consciousness in the western world.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja
the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
and foremost scholar and devotee in the recent age.
Srila Gaura Kisora Das Babaji Maharaja
the spiritual master of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami
and intimate student of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
the pioneer of the program to benedict
the entire world with Krishna consciousness
As taken from Original 1972 Edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is
*Note; These images were deleted from: Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged …or rather, current edition.
15 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in 108 Bhagavad-gita slokas, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Atmatattva das, Bhagavad-gita, Slokas
Tags: 108 bhagavad-gita slokas, 1972 MacMillian, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Atmatattva das, bhagavad-gita, bhakti sastri study guide, bhakti-sastri, Bhaktivedanta Academy, important slokas, original slokas., original translations, sloka
This is the list of 108 of the most important slokas from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is (1972 Macmillan Edition) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The index to these verses was taken from the Bhakti-sastri Study Guide compiled by Atmatattva dasa as used by the Bhaktivedanta Academy in Mayapur. [*Note for this collection of slokas, we are using the Original Translations rather than the later re-vised Translations. These were the Translations that Srila Prabhupada approved and which were memorized by heart, by all of the early disciples of His Divine Grace.]
These are important verses for memorizing. Srila Prabhupada has said, that when you quote a verse, your argument becomes authoritative.
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11 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Ganges
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arjuna, as it is, bhagavad-gita, essence of the Vedas, Ganges River, ganges water, great sages, Lord Krsna, nectarean milk of the bhagavad-gita, pure devotees
One cleanses himself daily by taking a bath in water, but one who takes his bath only once in the sacred Ganges water of the Bhagavad-gītā cleanses away all the dirt of material life. Because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gītā. In the present age, mankind is so absorbed with mundane activities that it is not possible to read all of the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gītā, will suffice because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges certainly gets salvation, but what to speak of one who drinks the waters of Bhagavad-gītā? Gītā is the very nectar of the Mahābhārata spoken by Viṣṇu Himself, for Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Viṣṇu. It is nectar emanating from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to be emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord. Of course there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord, but in our position we can appreciate that the Bhagavad-gītā is even more important than the Ganges.
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22 Aug 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita
Tags: 1972 Edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, Bg 15-17, Bhagavad Gita, impious men, Knowledge of the Absolute, na mam duskrtinoo mudhah, pious men, surrender to Krishna
“Four kinds of pious men surrender to Krishna, and four kinds of impious men do not”
click on image to enlarge
…It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that simply by surrendering oneself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa, one can surmount the stringent laws of material nature. At this point a question arises: How is it that educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen, administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not surrender to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-powerful Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a great many years and births. But if that liberation is possible by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why don’t these intelligent and hard-working leaders adopt this simple method?
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.
O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
For full verse and purport More
15 Aug 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Absolute Truth, Arjuna, Asita, Bg 10.12-14, bhagavad-gita, Devala, eternal divine person, great sages, Narada, param brahma, param dhama, primal God, supreme abode and purifier, transcendental and original, unborn and all-pervading beauty, Universal Form, Vyasa
Click on image to enlarge
Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.
O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.
Full verse and purport More
03 Aug 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Death and Dying, Practicing Krishna Consciousness at Home
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ananda, anta-kale ca mam eva, Arjuna, asat, Attaining the Supreme, Bg 8.5, chanting Hare Krishna, cit, death, He attains My nature, Krishna, Krishna's form, Krishna's names, material activities, nirananda, quits his body, remembering Me alone, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, sat
Next, one may raise the question of how one goes about approaching that abode of the Supreme Lord. Information of this is given in the Eighth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. It is said there:
And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.
Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
…This instruction to Arjuna is very important for all men engaged in material activities. The Lord does not say that one should give up his prescribed duties or engagements. One can continue them and at the same time think of Kṛṣṇa by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This will free one from material contamination and engage the mind and intelligence in Kṛṣṇa. By chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names, one will be transferred to the supreme planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, without a doubt.
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02 Aug 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Spiritual Life, Spiritual World
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, abode of the Supreme Lord, Bg 15.6, brahmajoti, effulgence, Goloka Vrndavana, Krsnaloka, self-luminous, spiritual sky, Spiritual world, The Spiritual Abode, Vaikunthas
…The spiritual world, the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa-which is known as Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana-is described here. In the spiritual sky there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity, because all the planets are self-luminous. We have only one planet in this universe, the sun, which is self-luminous, but all the planets in the spiritual sky are self-luminous. The shining effulgence of all those planets (called Vaikuṇṭhas) constitutes the shining sky known as the brahmajyoti. Actually, the effulgence is emanating from the planet of Kṛṣṇa, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Part of that shining effulgence is covered by the mahat-tattva, the material world. Other than this, the major portion of that shining sky is full of spiritual planets, which are called Vaikuṇṭhas, chief of which is Goloka Vṛndāvana.
The abode of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fifteenth Chapter, sixth verse:
na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. And anyone who reaches it never comes back to this material world.” (Bg. 15.6)
This verse gives a description of that eternal sky. Of course we have a material conception of the sky, and we think of it in relationship to the sun, moon, stars and so on, but in this verse the Lord states that in the eternal sky there is no need for the sun nor for the moon nor fire of any kind because the spiritual sky is already illuminated by the brahmajyoti, the rays emanating from the Supreme Lord. We are trying with difficulty to reach other planets, but it is not difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. This abode is referred to as Goloka. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is beautifully described: Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. The Lord resides eternally in His abode Goloka, yet He can be approached from this world, and to this end the Lord comes to manifest His real form, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. When He manifests this form, there is no need for our imagining what He looks like. To discourage such imaginative speculation, He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Śyāmasundara. Unfortunately, the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with us as a human being. But because of this we should not consider that the Lord is one of us. It is by His potency that He presents Himself in His real form before us and displays His pastimes, which are prototypes of those pastimes found in His abode.
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29 Jul 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Opulence of the Absolute
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, all beautiful, beautiful existence, Bg 10.41-41, bhagavad-gita, fragmental manifestations of Krsna's opulence, glorious mighty creations, material world, Spiritual world, spring bu from a spark of My splendor, yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Ten, Text 41-42
yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ
śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ
mama tejo ‘ṁśa-sambhavam
Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.
Purport
Any glorious or beautiful existence should be understood to be but a fragmental manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s opulence, whether it be in the spiritual or material world. Anything extraordinarily opulent should be considered to represent Kṛṣṇa’s opulence.
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25 Jul 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Changing Bodies, Science of Self Realization
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhagavad-gita, blood corpuscles, changing bodies, changing body, dehino smin yatha dehe, from boyhood to youth to old age, krsna consciousness, self realization, soul, soul is eternal, Srila Prabhupada
We Are Not These Bodies, We Are Soul
…within this body there is soul, and the body is changing every moment, but the soul is there. Just as a soul comes from the womb of his mother with a small body, and that small body changes—it becomes the body of a boy, it becomes the body of a youth, then it becomes the body of an old man, then it vanquishes… That we have to admit. We may say that the body is growing, but actually, the fact is, body is changing. It is medically admitted that we are changing our body every second. We are changing our blood corpuscles, and therefore a change of the body is taking place, and that is being manifested in a different shape only. Actually, we are changing every moment our body. So the ultimate change, when this body cannot be worked any more, just like a dress, when it is torn, when it is too old, you have to change it. Similarly, when this body becomes useless, no more, it cannot be pulled on any more, you take another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir. As we are, in our practical life, we are changing our body every moment, similarly, the last stage of changing this body is called death. Just as I give up this body, I have to enter into the womb of some kind of mother. These things are explained in the Vedic literatures. (Srila Prabhupada from lecture; San Francisco, April 2, 1968)
The soul is eternal, it is changing body, different bodies, and there are 8,400,000 different forms of body. According to his desire, he is entering another body.
…in the hundreds and thousands of universities all over the world there is no department of knowledge where the science of the soul is taught. Actually, we are all spirit soul. From Bhagavad-gītā we understand that we are transmigrating from one body to another, even in our present lives. All of us had at one time the body of a small baby. Where is that body? That body is gone. Presently I am an old man, but I remember that I was once a small baby. I still remember when I was about six months old; I was lying down on the lap of my elder sister, who was knitting, and I was playing. I can remember that, so it is possible for everyone to remember that he had a small body. After the baby’s body I had a boy’s body; then I had a youthful body, and now I am in this body. Where are those bodies? They are gone now. This is a different body. It is explained in Bhagavad-gītā that when I give up this body, I will have to accept another body. It is very simple to understand. I have changed so many bodies, not only from childhood to boyhood to youth, but according to medical science we are changing bodies every second, imperceptibly. This Process indicates that the soul is permanent. Although I have changed many bodies, I remember my baby body and my childhood body—I am the same person, soul. Similarly, when ultimately I change this body, I shall have to accept another. This simple formula is stated in Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone can reflect on it…(Srila Prabhupada from; Krsna Consciousness The Topmost Yoga System)
A person or an animal is not the material body; rather, the material body is the covering of the living being. Bhagavad-gītā compares the body to a dress and elaborately explains how one changes dresses one after another. The same Vedic knowledge is confirmed here. The living being, the soul, is constantly changing bodies one after another. Even in the present life, the body changes from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youth, and from youth to old age; similarly, when the body is too old to continue, the living being gives up this body and, by the laws of nature, automatically gets another body according to his fruitive activities, desires and ambitions. The laws of nature control this sequence, and therefore as long as the living entity is under the control of the external, material energy, the process of bodily change takes place automatically, according to one’s fruitive activities.
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12 Jul 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Devotional Service
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bg 10.8-11, bhagavad-gita, constantly devoted, devotional service, lamp of knowledge, shining lamp of knowledge, spiritual understanding, worship Me with love, worship of Krishna
…Pure devotees concentrate their minds in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in full devotional service; therefore they are always situated in the transcendental position. Devotional service and worship of Kṛṣṇa are very clearly indicated in the 10th chapter of Bhagavad-gita verses eight to eleven. That is the way of pure devotional service.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 10, Text 8-11
The Opulence of the Absolute
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are surrendered to Me, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss enlightening one another and conversing about Me.
To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.
Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.
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